Iran says it took down the drone when it entered Iranian airspace. But the US said the the Navy drone was never in Iranian territory and was flying in international airspace.
If the US drone was in international airspace, rather than Iran’s, then the Guard had no right to shoot it down.
The commander of the Guard said it shot down the drone to send “a clear message” that “we are ready for war.”
The White House has also signaled willingness to attack Iran, which Secretary of State Mike Pompeo argues could be done without asking Congress .
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said on Thursday morning it shot down a US Navy drone, to make clear its position that “we are ready for war.”
However, Iran and the US sharply differ over whether Iran had any right to take action, based on a technical argument over whose airspace the aircraft was in.
The Guard’s website, Sepah News, said it shot down a “spy” drone when it flew over the southern Hormozgan province, located by the Gulf, Reuters reported.
IRNA, Iran’s state news agency, also said the Guard struck the drone when it entered Iranian airspace, according to the Associated Press (AP).
Gen. Hossein Salami, the commander of Revolutionary Guard, said in a televised speech on Thursday that the drone-shooting sends “a clear message” to the US not to attack Iran.
He said that Iran does “not have any intention for war with any country, but we are ready for war,” according to the AP.
Iran’s foreign ministry has also accused the US of “illegal trespassing and invading of the country’s skies.”
“Invaders will bear full responsibility,” a statement said, according to the AP.
The US has, however, denied flying any aircraft over Iranian airspace.
It said instead that a US Navy drone was shot down in international airspace in the nearby Strait of Hormuz, Reuters reported, citing an unnamed US official.
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